An Unwanted Insight
by TofuTacco
Summary: Matt questions his value to the 2nd Mass after being attacked while on patrol with Hal and vows to prove, that he is a true Fighter. But not without getting himself and the 2nd Mass in harm's way. This story is set after the 2nd Mass destroyed the Espheni Grid with the Volm Weapon. This is my first fan fiction story, so please be gentle :-)


**An Unwanted Insight**

_Falling Skies Fanfiction _

_by_

_Tofu Tacco_

"How does it feel that Dad finally seems to accept you as one of the 2nd Mass" Hal asks as he and Matt

patrol the outskirts of Charleston.

"It's been a long time coming. I thought he'd never change his mind" Matt responds.

Hal and Matt are on patrol for the first time together since the Grid was destroyed.

It's quiet. Too quiet. No Mechs, no Beamers, no Skitter to be seen anywhere.

"Yeah. But what choice did he have? You're no longer a kid" Hal says and slaps Matt lightly on the back of his head.

Matt tries to grab his hand, but misses. Instead he tries to trip Hal as they walk on.

Hal shoves Matt, then puts his arm around his head and drags him for a few steps before releasing him again.

Both laugh and a feeling of safety and security can be sensed around Charleston for the first time in ages.

The sun is setting, they're about to come to the end of their patrol and turn around to head back to base.

"Do you think they'll just leave, now that we've dealt them this blow?" Matt asks.

"Do you think they fly all those light years just to have a handful of humans screw up their plans and then just buzz off again with their tails between their legs? No man, I think we haven't seen nothing yet" Hal reasons.

"What about the Volm? Cochise said they'll stay with us until it's over. With them, we can't lose." says Matt.

"Well, we still don't quite know what the Volm have in store for...SSHH! What was that?" Hal all of a sudden has his rifle in his hands. He motions to stay low.

Something rustles in the shrubs on the side of the dirt road they're on.

Matt fishes for his flashlight, finds it, turns it on and points it into the bushes, scanning.

They inch closer to the shrub line. Closer...Ever closer to the shrub line. It's moving, it's _alive._..!

All of a sudden Matt is being ambushed by something. He stumbles backwards, falls to the ground, wrestling, screaming.

Hal collects his senses, looks over to Matt "MATT! I'M COMING!HANG ON!" he yells as he looks around,

finds his rifle and pulls the action through to arm it.

A shot rings out, Matt is covered in dirt and is a little scratched up in the face.

"DID YOU HID IT?" he calls out to Hal, his voice snapping.

Hal picks up Matt's flashlight and points it at the thing that attacked from the bushes.

"A Racoon! A darn Racoon" Hal laughs. "Are you okay, Buddy?"

"Yeah I'm fine" Matt says with a low tone, obviously embarrassed.

"Come on, we've had enough fun for today. Let's get back and have a bite to eat" Hal extends his hand and helps poor Matt back on his feet.

He dusts himself off, snatches the flashlight out of the hand of a grinning Hal, shoulders his gun and walks off.

"Oh please. Nothing to be embarrassed about... It could've been anything." Hal jokes.

"Ya ya! Very funny.." Matt yells over his shoulder a few yards ahead.

"Hope it didn't have rabies" Hal whispers, grabs his stuff and runs after Matt.

=Back in Charleston=

"Mr Mason! I am awaiting your report" a firm voice calls from the corner.

"Colonel!" Hal responds with a serious tone. "Nothing out there. Very quiet, almost suspicious."

"You think they're up to something?" - "Not sure, Colonel. I mean, it's almost pointless patrolling. No Mechs, Beamers or Skitters. The most exciting thing we had today was.." Hal can't finish his sentence.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE KID?" Weaver calls out.

"I was attacked, Sir" Matt responds, still embarrassed.

"Mr Mason, you said there was nothing out there." Weaver complains about the inaccurate initial report.

"Well, Sir, the attack was from..." - "I was attacked by a Racoon, Colonel Sir."

Weaver and Hal look at each other, then turn their heads to Matt.

Weaver bursts out in laughter.

"Oh young Mason. At least you had some combat practice I presume?" Weaver jokes.

"Yes Sir, it is dead now" Matt begins to sound unruly, not happy with the mocking.

"How did it die?" - "Gunshot to the head, Sir" Hal responds.

"Way to go, young Mason." - "Well, Hal killed it" Matt says.

"Yeah, he was too busy screaming..." Hal jokes, rustling through Matt's hair.

A few more words are being exchanged in the background as Matt turns around and walks off towards the quarters.

"Busy day?" Tom asks as Matt comes through the door.

"You've heard?" Matt inquires.

"No. What?" - "Well, we ran into something shaking up the shrubs and as I sneak closer, it jumps right in my face"

"What was it?" - "Well...it was...a Racoon...but I killed it!" Matt lies proudly.

"**I killed it!**" Hal corrects him after sneaking in and eves dropping on the conversation.

"Hahaha. Well, a couple of scratches, but you should have that looked after. I don't want you to get an infection." Tom orders with one hand on Matt's shoulder like the protective Dad that he's known for.

"Yes Dad." Matt mopes and walks out.

"You were supposed to look out for him." - "Well I was right there, but that thing just jumped out of the shrubs and right in his face. It caught us by surprise and knocked us both off our feet." Hal excuses.

"Oh well. He's not my little boy anymore. Sooner or later he was gonna get a scratch or two. I'm happy you both are back and okay. Despite gotten roughed up by a _stray Racoon_" Tom and Hal start laughing.

What they don't know is, that Matt is standing outside with the door slightly ajar and heard what was just said.

It's plain to see, that it upsets him, how his Dad and oldest Brother joked about what happened.

"Hey Short Stack!" a trusted voice calls.

"Ben!" Matt runs up to his Brother and hugs him.

"What happened to you?" Ben asks.

"We were on to something moving in the shrubs off the roadside as a wild Racoon jumped out and right in my face" Matt reports.

"Hope it didn't have rabies" Ben remarks with a slight smirk.

"Well, I need to get my scratches checked out, so I don't get an infection." Matt says, sound a little proud of his combat injuries.

"You do that. Don't want you to get sick" Ben says, smiling. "I'll see you later at dinner" says Ben, turns around.

Matt looks after him as Ben walks off and also starts walking, talking to himself.

"They think I'm a joke. I could've been hurt worse. It could've been a Skitter or even a Mech."

He walks on towards the infirmary, lays his hand on the door handle but ... holds. He doesn't open it.

Obviously in deep thought he stares blankly, his expression getting darker, more serious. He then retracts his hand from the handle and keeps walking down the corridor.

Passing by some people, all giving him a joking grin. The story must have spread quickly.

"Well, well, who have we _here_?" POPE! The last person on the face of the earth that Matt needs right now.

"I heard about your encounter of the _furry_ kind" The Berserkers break out in laughter.

Matt grunts, holds on to his gun and runs off.

"You'll see what kind of a fighter I am!" he yells, his voice sounding more and more distant as he gains yards.

"Hey see if you can find that Racoon again. I can make you a nice hat!" Lyle adds to the ridicule.

As he emerges from the entrance he bumps into Shawn, one of his buddies.

He has known Shawn since the beginning of the resistance and they have been through thick and thin together and maybe also have gotten into some trouble at times.

Both boys fall to the ground, moaning after the blunt impact.

"What the hell!" Matt yells.

"Oh hey man! Whatchu doing?" Shawn asks.

They righten themselves up and give each other "The Handshake". A secret sequence of handshakes the kids came up with way back.

"Hey man. I was just going...out" Matt stutters.

"Out? Is there a _Bar_ nobody knows about?" Shawn jokes.

"No. I just wanna get out of here for a while" Matt complains.

"Ok, I've got nothing going on." Shawn says and sides with Matt as they walk out into the open court yard.

Past the Liberty Tree and the outer checkpoint.

"Hey were you boys going?" the guard on duty inquires.

"I'm on an extra shift for patrolling the outskirts" Matt lies.

"Isn't your brother supposed to be with you?" the guard asks.

"Uhm... He'll be along in a second. We'll wait outside for him"

Shawn looks at Matt surprised.

"So what are you planning on doing? Your brother is obviously not coming." Shawn wants to know.

"You know, they've been mocking me ever since the Racoon thing went down." Matt explains.

"Oh yeah, that was funny.." Shawn laughs but Matt cuts him off: "SHUT UP! I'm tired of being treated as a kid, so I'm gonna show them what kind of fighter I am and that I _can contribute_ to the 2nd Mass" he explains.

"So what's your plan?" Shawn is getting curious. He is sensing an adventure with the slight danger of getting in some trouble.

"Well, we haven't _heard _or _seen_ anything from the Espheni. No Skitters, Mechs, nothing. So I'm gonna see if I can find out where they're hiding and what they're up to." Matt lays out his plan, sounding convinced.

"Dude. You're gonna hunt Skitters? I...I don't know. That's a number too big for us, isn't it?" Shawn holds up both hands.

"Well, you can go back to camp, if you want. But I'm going. I'm over the mocking and everybody treating me like a little boy!" Matt reorganizes his rifle on his back, and with a long stare right in Shawn's face he begins walking.

"Oh man..." Shawn sighs and begins following Matt closely.

= The Woods =

A thin layer of fog is floating through the forest, the full moon's pale light makes the trees appear like long legged monsters.

The night critters are on the prowl, rustling in the brush.

The two boys are entering the strange world. Matt has his rifle raised, both sneak through the woods.

After two hours of strafing through the wet shrubs they break out and end up against a low ridge.

"Let's see what's behind it" Matt suggests.

They crawl up the ridge and peak out of the shrubs that grow on top.

What they see makes both stare in awe. A bluish light is being emitted from something that looks like the Beamer Base,

the 2nd Mass destroyed after crossing the Jersey River.

"Man! They're building a new base" Shawn whispers.

"I knew they were on to something!" Matt barks.

Both are mesmerized by the busy ongoings at the foot of the ridge and don't notice the motion behind them.

The motion turns into a shadow, turns into a shape, the shape slowly building with it's eyes affixed on the two humans in the grass.

BANG! A bright light hits the boys. They wheel around on their back and stare directly into the light source.

"Oh Crap!" Shawn yells and rolls instinctively out of the light.

Matt cannot move. His muscles cramp, his eyes squinting.

Shawn slowly comes to senses in the shadow of the big Pine Tree he is hiding behind.

Now he can clearly see the shape that formed behind them without notice or warning. A MECH!

Matt struggles to get up from his inferior position. A strange sound is heard, then a beam of energy seems to hit Matt.

It engulfes him, he is stunned and passes out in the grass.

Shawn stares in shock with his eyes wide open at the events that unfold.

With Matt incapacitated in the grass and the Mech towering over him, Shawn cannot do anything but to observe.

Him reporting what went on in the forest is Matt's only chance. Otherwise nobody will ever find out.

With hydraulics buzzing the Mech raises up and a Skitter approaches the unconscious Matt with his snarling noises.

He picks up the limp body and carries him off towards the structure, looking around. He knows that there's somebody else out there.

"Where are they taking him?" Shawn whispers to himself. The light of the Mech and the noises fade until no longer heard.

Shawn waits a little longer, scanning the area to make sure he is not being ambushed too.

His survival instinct kicks in. He remembers that the moon was behind them when they went into the woods.

So all he has to do is run towards the moon to get back to the dirt road that leads into camp.

Ensuring he is the only one out there he slowly starts walking, paying attention not to make too much noise while wading through the thick brush.

The further he gets away from the scene of the event, the faster he runs, tears start to water up his eyes.

Matt is in Danger. What are they going to do with him? Although he knows the answer.

= Back at Camp =

"HELP! HELP!" Shawn runs up to the checkpoint, waving frantically, the guards have their rifles raised at first but then recognize the kid that left with the youngest Mason earlier.

"Hey! You fed us a nice line there earlier. " the guard complains.

"I need to talk to Colonel Weaver. The Skitters took Matt!"

The guard sees the desperation in Shawns eyes, his face smeared with dirt, mixed with tears. This kid is scared.

He grabs Shawn by his arm and starts walking toward the command center of the 2nd Mass.

"Colonel Weaver, we have a situation" the guard reports, saluting the Colonel in a military fashion.

"What is going on. Where the hell have you been, Son? You look like you've been through hell" Weaver states.

Shawn can barely find words and form sentences:"We...we...went into the woods. Matt was right there. Next thing I know there is a bright light. He didn't move, he only stared" Shawn stuttered.

"My God. What happened? What happened to Matt?" Weaver pressures.

"He got knocked out by some sort of energy ray. A Skitter took him." Shawn continues.

"Stun shot. Non-lethal." Weaver adds.

"Dan! I can't find Matt anywhere. He was supposed to get his...SHAWN. What is going on. Do you have something to tell me?" Tom calls out fiercely as he storms in to the room. Ben and Hal are right behind him.

"Tom, the Skitters got Matt" Weaver breaks the bad news.

All three Masons stare at Dan and Shawn in shock.

"Where is he? "Tom turns to Shawn, grabs him by his jacket and starts shaking him :"Where did you boys go in the middle of the night?!"

"Listen Son. We need to know where you were and what you saw. The more details the better. If you want to save Matt from getting hurt or worse, you need to get your thoughts together right now!"

"Well, we were sneaking through the woods. Matt told me how sick he was of everybody treating him like he wasn't a full member of the 2nd Mass, just some little kid with an old carbine gun. So he wanted to see if he can find out where the Skitters are hiding. We were at it for over two hours as we broke out of the shrubs, climbed up a small ridge and found the Espheni Base." Shawn reports.

"An Espheni Base? Within two hours of Charleston?" Weaver cannot believe what this boy is phantasizing.

"With all due Respect Colonel, but the boy is right" a formal, deep voice fills the room.

"Mr Cochise. Do you know something that we don't?" Weaver drills as Cochise walks in.

"Our Scouts have spotted the Base, but we did not want to upset the people before knowing what the meaning was. It appears that the young Mason stumbled upon this Base on his foolish excursion and got himself into a dangerous situation." Cochise adds.

"No kidding. We need to get to him. Who knows what they'll do to him" Tom snorts.

"Well Professor Mason, you enjoy some sort of a celebrity status with the Espheni. Capturing and harnessing yet another Mason would be a welcome bargain for them."

"A Bargain for what?" Hal inquires.

"Before Karen led me on their ship, she said that the Harness is a process and that they will call Ben back someday" Tom recalls, looking at Ben.

"I will go and get him back. They won't do anything to me." Ben requests.

"NO! We'll go and get Matt back and while we're at it, we blow their place to kingdom come!" Weaver barks.

= Total Darkness =

A faint ray of light falls onto a body lying on the floor. The body slowly comes back to life, rightens up and glances at the light source.

Matt's hands are tied, he finds himself in a dark room, so dark that he cannot see the walls that contain him.

It appears big, but very claustrophobic at the same time.

_Where am I? Where is Shawn? Is he still alive or maybe did he get away to get help?_

He can hear his thoughts, it is so quiet in here.

His legs won't cooperate as he tries to get up. He falls back down, his head hanging.

Looking back up into the light, tears are rolling down his face.

_I'm gonna be harnessed. This time they're going to succeed._

The pictures come back from the harnessing factory, where he had to watch Johnny falling prey to the slug-like creatures.

He remembers the teeth that bit down on Johnny's neck and the long metal spikes that it rammed into his spine.

He also remembers how Johnny seemed to fade away into a passive, zombie-like state as the Harness took over.

_This is it. Nobody knows I'm here._

A loud metallic clunk rips him out of his trance, a door is opened and a Skitter appears.

Matt shoves himself back into a corner with his legs kicking, but the Skitter grabs him by his feet and without effort lifts him up into the air.

"No...!" he cries "NOOO! DAAAAD!"

The door slams shut behind them and darkness takes over again.

= 2nd Mass Rescue Mission =

"Ok people let's move out!" Weaver barks his order for the 2nd Mass to get going.

"We have no time to lose. We may already be too late" Ben states.

"Shut up! We're gonna get him." Hal pushes Ben back. Sounding annoyed by his younger brother's negativity.

Weaver, Tom and Hal with Maggie at his side saddle up on the first vehicle.

Two more groups of 2nd Mass Fighters follow in Trucks No 2 and 3. They move out in the direction that Shawn had described and Cochise had confirmed the location of the Espheni Structure.

= I've been here before =

Matt slowly opens his eyes. They must've stunned him again after leaving the cell.

He is lying on his stomach, his wrists are held by shackles on either side of the table.

He looks through a hole in the table, but can bend up to take a look around.

_Oh no, they built another harnessing factory._

But this time there are no other cries for help, no other voices to be heard.

Just the industrial cacophony of the Espheni Base all around him. It's just him here, no delays this time.

_There it is. The Holding Tank._

He can spot the massive cube, filled with yellowish liquid and the nasty slugs swimming back and forth in it.

Steam arises from the top, the walls are painted in a yellow light, that must come from the tank itself.

Suddenly a hand touches his hair, he rallies around and looks right into a pair of Skitter Eyes.

"Let me go!" he yells, knowing the Skitter won't be able to talk to him..._yet_.

The Skitter brushes over his hair and looks him in the eyes, just like the first time he ended up in a facility like this.

Then there is a loud hiss coming from the Slug Tank. The walls are being drenched in a red color, steam doesn't rise, now it shoots up from the sides, where a small flap opens.

Some of the yellow slime pours out of the Tank and not soon after he can see the feelers of the Harness.

It comes rushing down a chute and it's moving fast towards him.

He starts crying, knowing what fate awaits him.

Some of the slime starts dripping down from the chute, preceeding the Harness, that slides around the first of three corners it has to take before getting to him.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T!" He begs, but noone answers.

= Back in the Woods =

The 2nd Mass Fighters dismounted their vehicles, grab their weapons and explosives and proceed on foot towards the ridge that Shawn described.

"Ok, we only have one shot at this! I expect absolut accuracy with every shot and every charge!" Weaver demands.

"They don't seem to expect anybody. Only one Mech is guarding the perimeter" Hal assesses, looking through binoculars.

"Well they don't know that we know." Tom adds.

"Anthony, take care of that Mech for us, we'll be right behind ya!" Weaver orders.

"Yes Sir!" Anthony shoulders his Bazooka and advances towards the Structure as the single Mech Guard turns around the corner.

The rest of the 2nd Mass follows.

Anthony takes aim and with the precision of a neuro surgeon he takes out the Mech.

"LET'S GO!" Tom calls out. The Fighters jump up and run towards an opening that looks like an entrance.

= Getting Close =

The Skitter is beginning to push Matt's head down into the hole of the table as the Harness slides around the second of three corners in the chute.

Matt's eyes are filled with fear, knowing what awaits him, when that Harness makes it all the way down onto his back.

He had seen it first hand. He thinks of poor Johnny and wonders what ever happened to him.

= We're coming, Matt! =

Skitters pour out of the opening, the 2nd Mass opens fire and takes them out without wasting a single bullet.

Tom's face is filled with horror as he shoots one Skitter after another, knowing that they were kids before, or at least some sort of other life form of whatever Planet the Espheni invaded and enslaved before they came to Earth.

Ben and Hal are right behind him. Hal looks on in awe as Ben shoots Skitter after Skitter with Dignity and Satisfaction in his face. He doesn't miss a single shot.

"YOU'RE NOT GONNA DO TO MY BROTHER WHAT YOU BASTARDS DID TO ME!" he yells as he fires round after round into the six-legged creatures.

The 2nd Mass moves forward into the Structure. Their eyes are blinded by the darkness as they step out of the blue light that engulfed them outside.

They waste precious seconds to let their eyes adjust and whip out flashlights.

Laser dots sway around the corridor, the Structure buzzes with an unsettling sound. _They know we're here._

"Matt! MATT!" Tom calls.

Inside the Hall where Matt is still strapped to the table, the Harness makes it's turn around the final corner.

From here it's a straight shot onto his back and for him into slavery for the Aliens.

Did he hear something? Did somebody call his name? The Skitter at his side becomes uneasy and fidgets around on his six legs, looking back and forth between him and the Harness that is still unstoppably making it's way down the last stretch of the chute.

"DAD? IS THAT YOU?" he yells. "I'M HERE! PLEASE! COME HELP ME!"

"MATT! KEEP YELLING, SO WE CAN FIND YOU!" Weaver commands.

"DAD! BEN! HAL! I'M IN A BIG HALL! COME QUICK!" he continues to yell as loud as he can. Full of fear they might not make it in time.

It's another 2 feet at best for the Harness before crawling onto his back and it keeps coming at him.

"MATT! MATT!" Ben calls out.

"BEN! DAD!" Matt replies.

"Can't you sense them? Can't you feel them, where they are?" Hal questions Ben's dubious abilities he gained from being harnessed himself once.

"No. I got nothing. Are my spikes glowing?" he asks Hal.

"No. The one time we need it and you fail!" he complains.

"They know that I'm here too. They hold some sort of radio silence, so I can't locate them" Ben reasons.

"We need to do this the old fashioned way. Let's not waste anymore time!" Weaver snarls at them.

Meanwhile inside the Hall, Matt can feel the Harness sensing it's way off the chute onto his back.

It will only be a few more seconds before it's all too late.

In disgust he pictures this slimey slug crawling up and getting itself into position to strike.

The 2nd Mass keeps moving as fast as they can, fighting off Skitters that seem to come out of every hole and crevice possible.

They come up to a double door.

"This is it!" Ben determines, judging by the yellow glow under the doors that he knows all too well.

Anthony places a few charges on strategic locations on the door after confirming that it's locked.

The Fighters take cover and Anthony pushes down on the plunger.

In a flash of fire and with a plume of smoke, an entry way appears after the dust settles.

The Fighters pour into a big room, filled with a mix of yellow and red light.

"DAAAD!" Matt cries.

"GET THIS THING OFF ME!" he adds...

"We must find him NOW!" Ben barks.

The Fighters run through a maze of pipes with steam hissing out of open valves.

The noise level is deafening in this area.

They have to keep moving, they won't be able to hear Matt over this noise.

Matt presses his face into the hole, the Skitter at his side still has it's hand firmly on the back of Matt's head.

The Harness reaches a good position, where it arches up in the front, opening it's round mouth, revealing a series of teeth on it's rim and long spines growing out of the center of the mouth opening.

It dwells for a second or two before it violently strikes and buries the teeth in Matt's neck.

His eyes wide open in fear, the veins in his face become visible, he grunts.

The Harness' feelers wrap around his neck holding it in a firm grip, while the tail end begins to arch up until it is

almost completely perpendicular to the already attached part of it's body.

Long metal splines begin growing out of the exposed tail end with an unnerving, cracking sound.

With a whipping motion downwards the Harness rams the Spikes into Matt's Spine.

He lets out a sharp groan as the needles penetrate and anchor themselves into Matt's bones.

Now the metamorphosis of the Slug begins. It crystallizes into some sort of metallic material. Appearing almost lifeless and more robotic now; a part of a devilish technology.

Spiderleg-like appendices grow out the sides and grab on to Matt's back, fusing itself inseparably to his body.

A shot rings out, the Skitter's head explodes and the creature drops to the ground.

"Oh no! We're too late!" Ben calls out.

Tom runs up to Matt, opens the shackles around his wrists.

He helps Matt up to sit on the stretcher, looking into his empty eyes.

He shakes Matt, he calls his name, but no response. _Matt! MATT! Can you hear me?_

"The Harness took over. He's gone." Ben ascertains with a low, serious tone.

"We need to get him back to camp and into the Volm machine." Tom orders firmly.

"Let's go get out of here and blow this place to smitherines!" Anthony calls everybody back into reality:

Matt has been harnessed, but the 2nd Mass got him before the Skitters could take him away.

Tom shoulders Matt and carries him away from this horrifying place.

Ben still does not feel anything in here, despite the other Harnesses swimming freely inside the holding tank.

But he is not going to put everybody in danger like he did at the last harnessing factory.

They press on out the same way they went in, shooting everything that moves.

"How many are in this thing?" Hal yells.

"You would think they run out of Skitters eventually" Anthony responds.

= Tick, Tick, BOOM! =

With everybody heading up the ridge and into shelter from the blast,

Anthony aims his Bazooka at the Structure's root and starts counting down from five.

Meanwhile another 2nd Mass Fighter holds an igniter in his hand, waiting for Anthony to give the signal.

_ZERO!_ And with a loud hissing noise the RPG leaves the Bazookas Barrel.

Shortly before it impacts the foundation of the base, Anthony yells _NOW _and the other Fighter pushes down on the igniter's plunger, sending balls of fire straight up into the sky, disintegrating the Epsheni Structure before their very eyes.

"Beautiful. I'll never grow tired of this!" Weaver laughs with satisfaction, as the tall Tower collapses.

The Fighters mount the Vehicle and race back to camp. On the truck bed in Vehicly No 1 Tom attends to his son.

"We're gonna get this thing off of you. You're gonna be okay!" he ensures, but Matt stares straight ahead.

"He can't hear you." Ben ensures him.

"I just want to make sure, he is not afraid" Tom says.

"He doesn't feel fear. He doesn't feel anything." Ben continues.

"You're not making this any easier right now, Ben!" Tom snares back at Ben.

= Back at Camp / Saving Matt =

The Vehicles come to a screeching halt in the compound.

Anne Glass comes running out of the Building.

"Oh my God, Matt!" she calls out as she spots the alien parasite latched onto his back.

"Get him inside, I'm going to begin the procedure right away" she commands.

Shawn is there too, terrified as he sees his emotionless friend in his Dad's arms being carried off the truck.

"Will he be okay?" he asks.

"Yes, Dr Glass is very good with the Volm machine. It's gonna be okay." Tom assures Shawn.

He feels quite guilty, because he could've stopped Matt from going into the woods and after the aliens in the first place.

= Not all is lost =

"You came too late!" Cochise charges the arriving Fighters as he sees what happened to the youngest Mason.

Tom carries Matt into the OR where the Volm Machines is located.

"Put him on the table and into the tunnel" Dr Glass orders.

Tom and Hal grab Matt from both sides, who is now on his stomach again.

Wrapped in the strange light the Volm Machine gives off, the procedure starts.

The Harness begins surging and trembling. "Almost done" Dr Glass confirms.

"I almost have it" she adds.

"Be careful" Tom begs her.

"With this technology, nothing can go wrong my friend" Cochise counsels Tom while the Harness' Spikes begin to retreat from Matt's spine.

Now he trembles too, more and more violent.

"GOT IT! Get him out!" Dr Glass commands.

Hal grabs a hold of the Harness and yanks it out if the Tunnel, while Tom and Ben slide Matt back out.

= Welcome back, young Mason =

"Hey. Matt! Can you hear me?" Tom asks while brushing through Matt's hair.

"Dad?" Matt is still weak, whispering.

"Careful. Let's get you out of here and get some fresh air." Tom suggests.

He supports Matt, who's legs seem to barely support his own weight. He sets him down into a wheel chair that is parked outside the OR and rolls him outside into the daylight.

Slowly Matt comes back to his senses.

"What a trip!" he concludes.

"Yeah and not just for you!" Ben adds who joined Tom and Matt outside.

"Remember when I asked you how it was, after we rescued you from the Skitters?" Matt asks with a strange glow in his eyes.

"Yes.. And?" Ben responds.

"Well, now I know, what you're going through" he says.

"Uhm...no you don't" Ben says with a dark look on his face, turns and walks off while shaking his head.

"I should strip you of all your privileges right here, right now young man!" Tom warns Matt.

He hangs his head and replies "I know I screwed up!"

"SCREWED UP!? You got kidnapped by the aliens, held captive and you got harnessed. I think 'screwed up' is not quite cutting it!" Tom barks back at Matt.

"I should strip all your privileges and ground you till this war is over!" He rambles on.

"All I wanted, was to prove to you all that I am a Fighter of the 2nd Mass." Matt returns.

"Well, I hope you've learned a lesson, even though it was a dangerous way to learn something. You did not just put yourself and your Family in danger, you endangered the 2nd Mass too! Do you understand?"

"Yes Dad... I mean...YES SIR! It won't happen again. I was just so upset after the Racoon thing" Matt continues.

"You're gonna have plenty of time to overcome that, because you are grounded until Colonel Weaver has a slot for you on the duty roster!"

"Thank you Dad!" and with this he seems to regain his strength in his legs, jumps out of the wheel chair and hugs Tom real tight.

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
